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Maternal nutrition, infants and children

Associations between dietary patterns at 6 and 15 months of age and sociodemographic factors

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 66, pages 658–666 (2012)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES:

Data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) have previously shown that dietary patterns are observable by 3 years. However, it is not clear when dietary patterns emerge. We aimed to describe dietary patterns in early life and their associations with maternal and infant sociodemographic characteristics.

SUBJECTS/METHODS:

Principal component analysis was applied to diet questionnaires of ALSPAC participants at 6 months (n=7052) and 15 months (n=5610) to extract dietary patterns. The sociodemographic factors associated with dietary patterns were investigated using regression analyses.

RESULTS:

Four dietary patterns were extracted at both 6 and 15 months. A traditional-style pattern characterized by home-prepared meats, vegetables and desserts, a second pattern characterized by ready-prepared baby foods and a third pattern characterized by discretionary foods such as biscuits, sweets and crisps were identified at both ages. At 6 months, the fourth pattern was characterized predominantly by breastfeeding and at 15 months, by contemporary-style foods including herbs, legumes, nuts, raw fruit and vegetables. Higher maternal age and education, number of siblings and lower body mass index (BMI) was associated with higher scores on the breastfeeding or meat, vegetables and desserts patterns, whereas higher discretionary food pattern scores were associated with younger maternal age, lower education, higher BMI and more siblings. Associations between sociodemographic factors and the ready-prepared baby food pattern scores were inconsistent across ages.

CONCLUSIONS:

Dietary patterns emerge from infancy and are associated with sociodemographic characteristics.

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Acknowledgements

We are extremely grateful to all the families who took part in this study, the midwives for their help in recruiting them, and the whole ALSPAC team, which includes interviewers, computer and laboratory technicians, clerical workers, research scientists, volunteers, managers, receptionists and nurses. The UK Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust and the University of Bristol provide funding for the ALSPAC study. JWL is supported by an Australia Fellowship and RKG with a Postdoctoral Training Fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. LGS, LB and MNM are supported by funds from the Australia Fellowship awarded to JWL. KN and PE are partly supported by the UK Arthritic Association and partly by funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013 Grant number 245012).

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Author notes

  1. L G Smithers and L Brazionis: These two authors contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Discipline of Public Health, School of Population Health and Clinical Practice, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

    L G Smithers, L Brazionis, M N Mittinty & J W Lynch

  2. Public Health, Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

    R K Golley

  3. School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Clifton, Bristol, UK

    K Northstone, P Emmett & J W Lynch

  4. Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia

    S A McNaughton & K J Campbell

Authors
  1. L G Smithers
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  2. L Brazionis
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  4. M N Mittinty
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  5. K Northstone
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  6. P Emmett
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  7. S A McNaughton
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  8. K J Campbell
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  9. J W Lynch
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to L G Smithers.

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Competing interests

Both PE and KN have received support from commercial infant food manufacturers and have undertaken invited lectures. The other authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Contributors: LGS, RKG and JWL conceived the project, developed the research plan and oversaw the conduct of the project; PE collected and KN prepared data; LGS and LB analysed the data; the PCA protocol and face validity were developed by LB; all authors assisted with interpretation of the analysis; LGS prepared the first draft of the paper, all authors contributed to further drafts of the manuscript, and all have read and approved the final version; LGS, LB, RKG, MNM and JWL have primary responsibility for the final content.

Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on European Journal of Clinical Nutrition website

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Smithers, L., Brazionis, L., Golley, R. et al. Associations between dietary patterns at 6 and 15 months of age and sociodemographic factors. Eur J Clin Nutr 66, 658–666 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2011.219

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2011.219

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